Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Bean took over Idina Menzel's role in "Wicked" as Elphaba. Now, she's about to release her first album, and we have the scoop!
The Star Scoop:
Tell us about your experience with "Wicked."
Shoshana Bean:
"Wicked" was an amazing experience. I had sort of different phases with it. When I first took over the role, the first eight months out of that year were really difficult...just sort of settling into a groove. It's a marathon of a show, so to sort of get it in your body like an athlete would do for a marathon. You don't run the whole 26 miles the first time. You do a mile. It took me a while to get in a groove and be able to balance my personal life with my professional life. In the beginning there was no personal life. It was all about maintaining myself to be able to do eight shows a week. Once it did settle in, I was able to have a more balanced lifestyle, and then when I left the show, and I went back and did the tour for a couple months, that was definitely the best part. I was really confident and comfortable in the role, as well as I made up my mind going into that I would not be run by the job. That I would still be able to stay healthy and do all my shows as well as have a good time out on the road. Those four months off the tour were my favorite time playing the role. It was awesome.
The Star Scoop:
You followed Idina Menzel. Was there a lot of pressure to do the role [Elphaba] in "Wicked" next?
Bean:
Definitely, definitely. Definitely because she obviously created the role, so it's wasn't like any other normal instance of stepping into a role. Shows last forever and people come and go, but she created the role, she created a phenomenon with her creation of the role. She has legions of fans. They were very territorial about that part, about her, and so I was definitely nervous in that respect. As well as in the beginning, I was too scared to even attempt to recreate the role or do my take on it. I really just wanted to do as much as what she had done as possible to fit into the show, the machine that was already moving. It took me a while to really make it my own. That's incredibly intimidating.
The Star Scoop:
Do you feel overall really happy with how it did go and you did do the role?
Bean:
Yeah, definitely. I don't think I was able to ever really do it like she did. We're such different people. Once I did let go of all of that pressure and that expectation and really try and bring myself to it, I was very happy with how I left the show and where I had taken the role.
The Star Scoop:
Post "Wicked," you've recorded an album. What's going on with your music?
Bean:
I just finished the album. I pretty much finished it on my own. I was working with a label at one point, when I first moved out to L.A., and for one reason or another that fell through. I didn't know what to do after that, and I thought, I can't not continue to move forward. One foot in front of the other, the entire album is near finish. We have a couple of weeks to do, and then it's done.
You know when you're involved in something, you don't realize what's happening while you're doing it...and then all of a sudden, I look back, and I'm like, Oh my God, we just slammed through and finished an album...I'm really proud of it. It happened while I wasn't even paying attention, or I was paying too much attention to realize that that's what was going on. I'm thrilled. I always knew I wanted to make my album. I never knew that I would be doing it independently. I had complete control over what went on. After having been in control of almost every capacity of making the album, I wouldn't have done it any other way. It's totally, 100% me.
The Star Scoop:
People are going to wonder what your sound is, what kind of music you're going to put out. How would you describe to people what the album will sound like?
Bean:
I think that me and my producer, we definitely took contemporary R&B back. We tried to bring in some elements of old R&B, like the roots of music that inspired me to write this stuff, and inspired him as a producer, which is old Motown sound...we opted for live instruments vs. programmed and synthesized instruments. There's elements that make it viable as contemporary R&B, but we're really taking it back to the roots of R&B, to old Motown soul. It's definitely R&B soul music, more of an organic sound because we're using live instruments.
The Star Scoop:
Do you have a favorite song off the album?
Bean:
I definitely have a favorite, and I can't figure out if it's my favorite because it's the best song on the album, or if it's my favorite because it's the newest one and it's the one I'm least sick of. Every single song means a lot to me, because they're all written from personal experience. I'm so proud of each one of them for starting as an idea in my head, and now being this whole mini work of art for me. Right now my favorite song is "Superhero." My producer describes it as, we basically just took all the skills that we both have and kind of threw them up. We just kind of barfed on this track...Vocally singing at the peak, and his production skills are crazy on it, and so it's definitely the track I think we're most proud of.
The Star Scoop:
Who do you think your music will appeal to?
Bean:
That's the cool part. Lately I think that my built in fan base is of the "Wicked" kids who are mid to late teens and early twenties, just from built in musical theater loyalty. But, I think the stuff on it can kind of appeal to everyone. The cool part about the response that I've gotten thus far is that everyone seems to have a different favorite song. It can appeal to both contemporary audience and for the younger people as well. I personally feel like I write best for women: a lot about heartbreak and pride, and taking back your power by saying the things you never got to say to somebody. I'm big on girl power. I would assume that I appeal more to women and gay men than boys.
The Star Scoop:
What do you want to say to your fans?
Bean:
Since we're on the subject of the album and the fact that I had to sort of pull myself up from that, when things didn't work out the way I thought they would with my record deal, and everything that I had planned didn't go the way that I had planned...life has plans of its own. My point is, if I could give any advice to anyone, don't wait for someone else to do it for you. If there's something you're passionate about, and you want to make it happen, figure out how to make it happen. In the end, it's a lot of hard work, but the rewards are so much greater. It's the greatest gift, if you have a dream, to just make it happen. Don't stop until you do make it happen...it's just perserverance and hard work.